


I go where you go.

by LoudandDangerous



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Sex, Control Issues, Crazy, Demons, Field Trip, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Poltergeists, Possession, Possessive Behavior, Sad and Happy, School trips, Sexual Content, Shopping Malls, Smut, Tree Houses, ghostbusting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:36:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4854920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudandDangerous/pseuds/LoudandDangerous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At Josh's funeral, Tyler was told that he would get over it. Move on. Find someone else to befriend.</p><p>So after months had passed, Tyler cracked a smile when he found out that Josh left him his lucky snapback in his will.</p><p>If only Tyler only knew that Josh's ghost would come with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Till the end of the line.

_I'll be with you until the end of the line._

 

It truly was the end of the line indeed. Joshua Dun was nothing more than just a cold, dead body 6 feet under ground and Tyler wonders to himself if things could've turned out differently. If he had caught him the night he died. If his location, the distance they were apart from each other, the speed of his running could have prevented his death.

 

Perhaps Tyler would learn the answer to these questions.

 

Perhaps he will never know.

 

He can't see anything past his tears. He can't see a clear face or a reassuring one for that matter. Brendon tells him it's okay, that he will get over it once he realizes that things happen for a reason. Dallon tells him to grow a pair and quit whining because they have a project due next week and Tyler is wondering what the fuck is wrong with these two. Why are they so insensitive?

 

Tyler doesn't take too long with these questions because he has to rummage through Josh's locker and clean it up so that the school can put a zip tie on the lock and wait for the next wave of students to claim that locker.

 

You can't deny that Josh was a great kid.

 

You can't deny that Josh deserved better.

 

You can't deny that Tyler was in love with him.

 

You can't deny that Tyler Joseph will never get over the death of Joshua Dun. 

 

Tyler stands with his Converse crushing the grass underneath his feet. The rain patting down on his umbrella and his tears dripping onto the grass. The sky was just as grey and dismal when they lowered Josh down and Tyler knows that Josh will never know how he felt. Maybe if he told him his feelings, he could've prevented Josh's death. He could've stopped the rope and the knife and Josh's tears on the carpet because Tyler knows that angel tears shouldn't fall on the ground. Tyler is looking for solace. He's looking for a reason to go on with his dismal life. He doesn't want to see a world without Josh and someday, he won't.

 

Because someday he will choose to end it all and be with Josh.

 

Until that dreary day, he is stuck living in Ohio with his best friend fertilizing that ground he walks on. Someday he will lose his mind. 

 

He is tired. He is hurt. He wants Josh.

 

But you can't have everything you want.

* * *

 

Tyler is going through Josh's will with the Dun family and he is crying when Josh's mother reads it.

 

''I want my collection of Jekyll and Hyde books to stay in the house. Perhaps you'll read it someday." Josh's mother is crying as she reads and Tyler puts a hand on her shoulder. Over time, Tyler is beginning to cry when he reads that Josh wants his college fund to go to the hospital and he wants his textbooks donated. Then his mother reaches the bottom of the tear stained paper and shocks Tyler. ''….I want my copy of All My Sons to go to Tyler along with my lucky snapback."

 

Tyler stands in the corner as Josh's mother pulls out Josh's snapback and his copy of All My Sons. He inside of the hat reads " _J.D''_ in quick writing and black sharpie. It's tattered and burgundy. If you looked at a time laps of all Josh's school photos, you can see the hat deteriorating from it's once Elmo red color to the dark almost purple color it was now. Inside is blue from a terrible dye job back in '09. This is the hat that Josh wears in every photo he is in. This is the hat that is in every single yearbook since '06 when he received the hat. This is the hat that Josh wore in his goddamn school picture. 

 

A red hat upon blue hair accompanied with a suit and tie. He wore it at weddings, he wore it in school, he wore it when he slept. This hat never left his head and now it belonged to Tyler.

 

Josh's mother tells Tyler to put it on so she can see the hat being used one more time. He hesitates putting it on his head. But once he does, it's an unsung blessing to fulfill Josh's final wish. Tyler doesn't cry, he embraces the hat and opens the copy of All My Sons.

 

_"Dear Tyler,_

 

_You're probably wearing my lucky snapback. If not, you should be. You're probably wondering why I wasn't buried in the damn thing and to that, I will say ''I simply don't know." I want you to be happy. My death was not something you could've prevented and for now, I'll just say 'Be Happy'. Maybe if you say my name three times, I'll appear like Beetlejuice. MAN! How cool would that be? Josh Dun, Josh Dun, Josh Dun! BAM! I'm there in an ugly ass striped suit and bullshit and ghosts like that! That would be great._

 

_Tell Mrs.Fischer that I won't be able to do my presentation on Tuck Everlasting. Not because I'm dead, but because I only saw the movie and I don't think she'll count that since I fell asleep when the chick was with Jessie and he was all like ''Hey! Why don't you drink this weird bullshit when you're 17 and live with me and my ma and pa forever!_

 

_I want you to know that I love you. I never said it when I was alive because that would kill me._

 

_(No Pun Intended.)_

 

_(Wait! No 'Dun' intended. Get it? It's funny because..well you get it.)_

 

_Sincerely,_

_- ~~JIsh~~  Josh Dun._

 

_I love you, Tyler."_

 

Tyler saw this as a final goodbye. His last words would've been 'I Love You, Tyler' and Tyler cried all over the damn book. He made a vow. A vow to never take off that snapback. A vow to never let someone he loves get to the point of suicide like Josh because he simply wouldn't be able to take it. A vow to take Josh with him wherever he went.

 

He closed the book, kissed the cover and thanked Mrs.Dun. He left the house unsatisfied and yet, satisfied. He wanted Taco Bell.

 

And he would go get it with his snapback. 

 

The snapback named Josh.

* * *

A month had passed when Tyler came out of the shower, the snapback placed tilted on his brunet hair. His towel was wrapped around his waist when he lotioned, slipped on a t-shirt and headed to sleep. 

 

The next morning, he scrambled to put the snapback back on his head when it fell off during the night and every night since then, he bobby pinned the hat to his head. He took his school photo with the snapback much like Josh would and soon Tyler realized that the tip of his hair was blue from wearing the snapback too often. He embraced the blue and allowed it to set in with the brown of his natural colored hair.

 

He still cried when he hear someone utter the name Josh and bawled his eyes out when Madison watched 'Drake and Josh'. He clutched the book like a teddy bear every night and read Josh's note before he fell asleep. One day he decided to take Josh's silly advice and say something.

 

''Josh Dun. Josh Dun. Josh Dun." He whispered standing on the balcony, clutching the book with the snapback upon his head. The wind picked up, leaves swarmed around Tyler when the clouds freed the moonlight and there was triumphant beauty in the weather. The Junipers, the Orchids, the Spruce and the Hawthorns blew violently in the breeze and Tyler decided it was far too windy to stay outside.

 

The next morning, he awoke to find Josh staring out the window, snapback missing since it was pinned to Tyler. The blue haired boy turned to face Tyler with a smirk on his face.

 

"Good to see you, old friend."

 


	2. Uneasy lies the head that wears the snapback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyler wears the snapback backwards.
> 
> Always. 
> 
> Just wanted to clear it up incase it wasn't mentioned last chapter.

Tyler doesn't understand. The boy he lusted for, cried over, yearned for just 2 more minutes with was standing before him.

 

''You're acting like you just saw a ghost. That reaction would be appropriate, however.'' Josh smirks and makes Tyler's heart jump out of his chest. Josh tauntingly teeters over on the heels of his feet and smirks when he's face to face with Tyler. _''You pulled a 'Beetlejuice' didn't ya?_ Said my name 3 times like I would've wanted you to in bed. You read my note in the book. Smart boy, but it took you far too long to do so. Take my advice sooner, yeah? _"_ Tyler is clutching the book with the dilapidated hat resting upon his brunet and blue locks, and he stares at Josh. He's dressed in the suit that he was buried in, wearing a speck of dirt by the cufflinks and Tyler wonders if his body is still underground or right there in his bed room.

 

Tyler's questioning if anyone else would be able to see Josh. He contemplates calling Madison, but refrains from doing so.

 

''She can't see me. The one who wear the snapback can see me. If she put it on, then she could have goddamn scones and tea with me, but you swore to never take off the snapback." Josh sits on the foot of the bed now, kicking his feet back and forth. 

 

''So what if you wear the snapback?" Tyler says flatly, trying to find a hole in Josh's plan. Give himself a sign that this isn't real. Josh is at the Columbus cemetery. He couldn't be in Tyler's bedroom. Nope.

 

Absolutely not.

 

Except for the fact that he was. And he had no intentions on leaving as long as Tyler wore the lucky snapback.

 

''I _can't_ wear the snapback. Have you forgotten….I don't know… _I'm A GHOST?!"_ He shouts sarcastically. Tyler cringes at the loudness of Josh's voice but tries to test something. He takes off the snapback and Josh is gone. He hesitates before staring and examining it like he had the day he received it. He placed it upon his head, and Josh was now standing behind him, grinning. ''Now you see me,'' He flipped the snapback off Tyler's head. ''Now you don't. But I am always here, Tyjo….always waiting."

 

''I--I'm not believing you. Tell me something only you would know." Tyler whispers, out of breath from breathing so hard.

 

"Well, when you were seven years old, you buried a time capsule with a polaroid of us, your broken Gameboy and a grow your own dinosaur from the Dollar Tree.'' He paced with his hands behind his back. He looked amazing in that suit-- oh wait. He's dead. ''At the Mother's Day banquet in the classroom, you threw a temper tantrum because the snacks were for mothers only. When you were 10, you told me about seeing the greatest movie ever that you wished you could've seen in theaters. That movie was Space Jam. When you were 13, you told me about a new discovery you made! You discovered masturbating and your life was never the same. When you turned 15, the kids down the block roofed you and drew all over your face at your birthday party. Once you turned 17, you lost your virginity to a guy named Garth and he never called you back." Josh pursed his lips and smirked. ''Need I go on?''

 

Tyler quickly shook his head no, sitting on the bed before he passed out. He had to wrap his mind around this. 

 

_His best friend was back. As a ghost. Who you could only see when you wore his lucky snapback._

 

Tyler concluded that today was normal.

 

''So, you'll follow me to school?" Josh nodded, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "And….everywhere I go?"

 

''I go where you go, Tyjo." He smiled sweetly and Tyler almost cried. That was the smile that he cried himself to sleep believing he would never see it again. That was the smile that could make him drop everything to see. That smile was Josh Dun's smile and Tyler was the happiest camper to see it again.

 

''Won't they think I'm crazy for talking to you?" Tyler's voice was barely a whisper.

 

''Nope. Chances are, they have one too."

 

''What?'

 

''You see, when someone dies, it's like a Horcrux. Whatever was that lucky thing about them or piece of apparel they never took off, is where their ghost goes. It's called a 'Phantom Gadget'. Your mother's pearl earrings are what her ghost would travel with so chances are, Madison is going to inherit those earrings and with it, she gets your mother's ghost. Your father's cufflinks that Jay loves so very much? Yep, your dad's ghost goes with it." Josh explained, taking off his black blazer and setting it on the coat hanger, only for it to fall since everything goes right through it.

 

''What if you don't have anything?"

 

''Impossible. Everybody's got something. Ashley from Science class has that flower crown. Brendon has his 'Hella Gay' button and Dallon has his copy of The Godfather."

 

Tyler took some time to ponder this. What was his? Did he have one? Josh said he did, but what was it?

 

''What's mine?" 

 

''What is the single thing you have worn for the past two months?"

 

Then Tyler realizes it and reaches up to the snapback. 

 

''But how can you and I share a Phantom Gadget?"

 

"Easy. You and I were inseparable. There was never a moment when I was without you for more than 10 minutes. You and I were associated with that snapback. When people thought of me and my snapback, they thought of you as well. Whoever inherits that snapback next, will get both of us. Lest the hat be destroyed, then our ghosts go to our friendship bracelets that we made at summer camp.'' He pulled up his wrist and showed Tyler the rainbow string and small white plastic blocks that spell out:

 

'B-E-S-T-F-R-I-E-N-D-S-F-O-R-E-V-E-R''

 

'Tyler cocks his head and watches Josh.

 

"Now listen, it's a lot to take it but it's not a bad thing. I'm still your best friend. Right? And now you'll never be alone. I'm always with you. Till the end of the line."

 

Tyler stares at the ground, the book still clutched in his arms and snapback upon his head. ''Till the end of the line." He smiles. "Do you want to go get Taco Bell?"

 

''I'm a fuckin' ghost. I can't eat mortal food. But….'' He pulls out a small bag and hands it to Tyler. Tyler takes the small bag and opens it to find a grey powder. 

 

''What's this?"

 

''You mix some of it in water and I can take you to the underworld." Josh grins.

 

Tyler stares skeptically at the power before taking a water bottle off his desk and pouring some of it in. He shakes the bottle as Josh watches and drinks some of it.

 

Then he's dizzy, about to fall over. He's stumbling on the ground as his soul begins to leave but still remain. He doesn't feel well and feels worse when Josh tells him:

 

''You're temporarily dead. Come along with me, I can show you things you've never seen."

 

Tyler smiles as he takes Josh's hand down under.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would be your Phantom Gadget?
> 
> Mine would be these two Silly Bands that never leave my wrist. One's a Dolphin and the other is a Shoe.
> 
> Been wearing them since '13.


	3. Vessel

Have you ever seen everything backwards in a mirror? Have you ever seen your reflection in the mirror and wonder what it's like behind the glass?

 

Tyler wondered that too. Now he knows what it feels like.

 

It's a place called ''Town'' and while it looks like the scene of a Disney Channel Original Movie, it's far from it. The words are backwards, everyone is wearing formal gear, presumably what they were buried in and there's a small pier at the end of ''Town'' that's foggy and it peaks Tyler's interest.

 

''Let's go to the pier?" Tyler asks Josh with a tone in his voice. It's not hope, it's not confusion but Josh knows what the tone means. Even if he does not have the words for it. 

 

''No use, we'd have to pass the 'Alleyway' and while I would love to take my temporarily dead boyfriend to the dead people pier, I'm not putting you in danger." 

 

Now, what is the 'Alleyway' and why did Josh call Tyler his boyfriend? Tyler doesn't know and right now, he is  _dead_ so it should be established that Tyler truly does not care.

 

They live in houses that mirror the kind in Tyler's neighborhood, the children play in a playground and Tyler realizes that this is not a mirror universe, or a different universe at all.

 

The ghosts live among the mortals. If you were in 'Town' you would see ghosts, if you were in Columbus, you would see living, breathing mortals. The foundations and houses are the same but depending on what you are, the residents are not.

 

Tyler now knows that it is not the wind blowing the swing sets, or the man who performs magic tricks might have a Phantom Gadget of his own because there is simply a man standing and holding a glass jar in place. Perhaps on the other side, there is a man who is tricking people into believing he has magic powers.

 

"Your grandpa died when you were 9. They said he had lost his mind, but no. He had your great-grandfather's phantom gadget. Your grandfather actually lives in your house. Your dad's watch? Phantom gadget. Passed down and down and down. Those witty remarks he makes when he reads the morning paper and drinks his terrible coffee? He's talking to your grandfather. You know how people say they aren't really gone because they're still here?" Tyler nods and feels Josh's grip on his hand tighten. ''The man who first said that--''

 

''Owned a phantom gadget."

 

Tyler hums in response and Josh stops in front of a house that looks like his own. It probably  _is_ the Dun residence. He walks through the wooden door with Tyler and sees the chair move. It's probably his mother sitting in the chair on the other side.

 

"Let me tell you about the 'Alleyway'. Those men are no good sinners. They will kill, cheat, lie and steal to get what they want. This includes making you sell your soul or switch bodies. DO. NOT. TRUST. THESE. MEN!" 

 

Tyler nods and realizes that he can hear things from the other side. Josh will pick up a vase, hear a shriek from his mother and put it down quickly. 

 

"I forget about that." He sheepishly smiles. "Let's go back into town, yeah? There's a pretty nice waffle place I know."

 

Tyler recognizes this waffle house. He sees waitresses he remembers from when he was younger, the place smells like warm syrup and cookie dough. He inhales with a smile and lets Josh take him to a booth.

 

Josh sits down, orders a hot chocolate and heads to the bathroom. "Guess I gotta go to the little ghost's room, don't I?'' He laughs at his own joke with Tyler and retreats to the bathroom.

 

Now Tyler wonders if mortals see an empty bathroom and they use it, but don't see a ghost in there instead. He should question that when Josh comes back.

 

The snapback is knocked off Tyler's head and when he bends down to pick it up, it disappears. Tyler begins the frantic search for it, for without it he cannot see Josh.

* * *

 

He's slammed against the wall, his hands haven't even dried from the sink. 

 

''I think your sweetheart needs something, does he not?" The man grins, holding up the snapback and a dagger to Josh's neck.

 

What happens if you die, when you're already dead? Josh does not know, but he is not exactly thinking straight. 

 

''Give it back to Tyler." Josh strains, his voice weak. ''Hurt me, just not him." 

 

There is silence briefly and the man grins devilishly.

 

''Sure. If you give me something in return."

 

''What do you want?" The man knees Josh in his crotch and watches him fall to the ground.

 

"Your vessel."

 

''God, no. Please don't--'' The man steps on Josh's stomach and digs his foot into Josh's abdomen. "F--F--Fine." Josh wheezes.

 

The man pulls out the contract and hands Josh a pen. 

 

_Joshua William Dun._

 

"Lovely doing business."

 

The transaction is simple. The light glows and Josh is no long in his own vessel. But rather a shady man's.

 

'Josh' walks out of the bathroom, whistling with the snapback and places it on Tyler's head once he returns to the table.

 

"Now, Tyler. What do you say about switching bodies? Just for a day?" 'Josh' questions. ''If you're my best friend, you would do this."

 

Tyler is cautious at 'Josh's' straight forwardness but begins to ponder.

 

''You are my best friend, aren't you, Tyler?"

 

Tyler nods solemnly as the hot chocolates arrived at the table. He takes a sip and thinks.

 

''Just for a day, Josh?" 

 

''Just for a day. Sign this contract and It's a done deal.''

 

Tyler is skeptical. Why didn't Josh make a pun about a 'done deal' making it a 'Dun deal'? Josh loves Dun puns, this should strike a red light but it fails to do so since Tyler is fairly gullible.

 

''You're my best friend, after all." Tyler eyes his summer camp string bracelet. ''Where do I sign?"


	4. My Treehouse is on fire.

Tyler thinks of the Little Mermaid. He thinks of the scene where Ursula made Ariel sign the deal to give her legs. 

 

Tyler should've thought of this scene a little more. 

 

Because his memory leaves out one crucial detail.

 

_Ursula was the villain._

 

But to Tyler, Josh is not the villain. Well, he  _thinks_ it's Josh. The seal is coated in gold and Tyler questions how this will work.

 

''You'll still be here. Just in a subconscious of  _our_ mind." 'Josh' explained to Tyler, pacing around him with the now signed contract. Tyler sat, legs crossed while 'Josh' circled around him, grinning and only setting off about 17% of a red light.

 

17% was still more than 10% and Tyler was foolish for believing this was okay. He sat in a circle as 'Josh' paced around him, the sun bleeding through the curtains and brightening on Tyler's eyes. A small golden tint from the window shining on his hair as he closed his eyes and prepared himself. 'Josh' places his hands Tyler's shoulders, either side and pressed firmly. Tyler feels the sharp pain, part of him contracting and the other bursting.

 

 _"Josh would never hurt me.'_  

 

'Josh's hands push through Tyler as he shouts in pain, throwing his head back when he feels tears brimming his eyes. "It hurts, Josh."

 

''It's supposed to do that." He shouts back in response. Tyler's body is slowly getting weaker, weaker, weaker until he's limp and it feels terrible. 'Josh' is getting stronger, Tyler's powers, living body energy going to the blue haired vessel. It's burning, until it's a flash, the light bulbs in the house pop, glass falling to the carpet, the power goes down. 

 

Tyler can think. He can speak. But he cannot walk. He cannot jump. Run. His vessel is no longer his own, it is shared. He's in the back of his mind, He still looks like himself, 'Josh' simply has total control of Tyler's body. 

 

 _'Best friends forever.'_ Tyler says, 'Josh' nods. 

* * *

The real  _Josh_ is stuck. Broken down in a discarded pancake house for the dead and living. It's different. He's not normal. He's okay looking though, he could be better but that's not what matters. Tyler needs to be okay, that man is not him and as long as Tyler wears that snapback, he'll keep believing it is Josh. He wants to take Tyler home, show him the sun, be with him. Josh had already planned to kill Tyler.

 

Bottle of pills and lethal injection.

 

But this man was going to hurt Tyler much worse. He was going to keep Tyler alive, do terrible things with him. Perhaps entice Tyler for sex, make him burn things, make him murder. Tyler's body was living, blood coursing through it's veins and with all that blood, came power. You could throw your phone or laptop out of the window right now if you wanted to. 

 

You really could.

 

But you don't because you have common sense. This man has no sense, common or not. He'll throw Tyler's fucking TV out the window. 

 

He'll throw Tyler out of the window.

 

 _Josh_ needs to find Tyler. He needs to fight. He needs this man's Phantom Gadget, he needs to give it to Tyler, because only those with a Phantom Gadget can see you.  _Your_ Phantom Gadget. Tyler's father may have his grandfather's Phantom Gadget, but even owning a Phantom Gadget does not allow you to see every ghost other there.

 

This might be the downfall of Josh's plan. First he must find out who the man of his vessel is, he must scope through photos, find his family, find his Phantom Gadget. He just hopes he is not too late.

* * *

But he is late. 'Josh' has already lit the match, he's set the gasoline down and knocks back vodka. Tyler is shouting inside his mind, fighting, pleading that this isn't Josh. 

 

''This isn't you Josh! PLEASE! STOP!" But nobody cares to listen because only 'Josh' can hear Tyler.

 

He's already set the treehouse on fire. Tyler smells the gas on his hands and this--

 

This is not what he had planned. 

 

The fire is bright flames, embers of what he and Josh used to be. It hurts, it burns, Tyler wants his vessel back. He doesn't want to be gone. But now it becomes evident that this is not Josh.

 

 

 


	5. Pointless Curses.

"--if I were to become Satan, I would simply sing country music." She crosses her arms, sliding on the lunch bench beside the two toned girl with black and blonde hair. She ruffles her own blue hair before placing a kiss on the other girl's cheek. 

 

''Of course you would sing country music to become Satan. You're the only one who would do that." The other girl grins, laughing but toning down when 'Tyler' sits on the other side of the bench. ''Hey Tyler, --….'' She stutters to a stop, unsure what to say next to the boy who has gas on his hands. "How've you been, since….it?"

 

Tyler snickers, the real Tyler sitting inside of his mind and crying to himself. Shouting internally but failing. He wants to let someone know, he wants to be heard, he wants to be listened to. But with the demon running his body, forcing his own legs to walk left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. It's burning through his heart, like the treehouse that has been set on fire just minutes before they arrived at the school. It's sickening. Tyler is not a singular noun anymore, he is they. He is two people in one vessel. His is Tyler and --

 

And who was this man?

 

"I've been fine," His eyes glaze over to a vending machine behind the two girls.  _Why don't I set that on fire too?_ ''I could tell you how it's been, but with this oh so lucky snapback, I feel like I'm accepting Josh's death in a whole different way." 

 

They're shocked. Quite shocked that 'Tyler' has just addressed the incident as Josh's death and not something less saddening. "Oh….'' The one beside the blue haired girl begins. "Well, I suppose that if your okay lately, then maybe you wanna go out tonight? Ash and I were gonna head over to Brendon's, I think he's having a party. Dallon might be there, just in case you wanted to know."

 

The real Tyler would say no. Not because of what has just happened, but because Brendon's parties are often fueled by ramen, beer, Pixy Sticks, beer pong and somebody always gets arrested. No wonder that the voice Tyler's body utters says yes. He says yes, cackling when he hears the fire drill go off and see the beautiful orange blaze light up outside, the red bleeds to yellow, orange, hazy purple and brief green. 'Tyler' thinks it's wonderful,  _Tyler_ wants it to all go away. Instead though, he listens to what the school officer has to say about the spreading wildfire from the treehouse.

 

 _"Good morning students!"_ He is met with dismal groaning and boos of outraged teens in gym clothes.  _"I would like to say the cut to the unforeseen_ _circumstance of this wildfire, you must all be sent home while the fire department sorts out the chaos."_ Dismal booing is resorted to cheering, but only by the students who do not want to be there.  _Which is all of them,_ but that is beside the point. Tyler is already counting until 24 hours are over, but the clock is at 12 hours, he has another 12 to go. 

* * *

A contrast bow is straightened, brushed hair lining perfectly while he smirks at his reflection, the pure look of unadulterated chaos sprawled across his face. He knows that he wants to cause as much chaos as humanly possible and he just might, but Tyler inside his mind finds something. A panic button, an off switch, a break. He flips the switch, feeling his soul almost become ripped out when he returns to consciousness as himself. His own body. He stretches his fingers, looking at both sides of his hand like Aggie in Paranorman. Surreal that he--he's himself again.

 

And 'Josh' is sitting in a trampoline chair with a fairly dismal look on his face. Pouting and crossed arms to show contempt. "Oh you're no fun." He scowls, Tyler looks up with fury, fear, panic.

 

''YOU!" Tyler hastily points at 'Josh', spitting crude words under his breath. ''YOU DID THIS! YOU SET THAT FOREST ON FIRE!" He cries out, tears brimming his eyes and it feels terrible. Like  _he's_ the one who did something wrong. 

 

''So what if I did?" A grin tugs at the side of Josh's mouth, one side angry and the other perky as can be at his bad deed.

 

''You could have killed someone." 

 

''Your point?"

 

''You're a terrible person, Josh." Tyler hates the way those words string together. They shouldn't be together like that. Never in a million years, but it wouldn't matter. Josh has already shut Tyler up by pulling him close and kissing him. Tyler hates this, he hates Josh, he hates arson, he hates parties, he hates fire--

 

He hates the way 'Josh's lips are so soft.

 

But he questions how he can feel Josh if hasn't drank the temporary poison. And he doesn't take notice that he can see Josh, but he isn't wearing the snapback.

* * *

A lead. Josh, the real Josh, has a lead. He knows a name, he knows a face to the name now. 

 

_Benjamin Hark._

 

''Town'' library has an extensive research center. DOB's, death dates, birth certificates, history, relatives. He's found all of it. He now knows that the man who stole his vessel and his boyfriend was a lawyer. A lawyer who fell in love with a girl named Jenni, but Jenni had a boyfriend. As Josh reads on he finds out that Jenni's boyfriend cheated, so she committed suicide and Ben killed her ex-boyfriend in revenge. 

 

But he murdered every single one of her friends, his friends, his parents too.

 

Josh was not a murderer, he couldn't kill a fly. He helped old ladies cross the street, he had 72 puffles on Club Penguin. He didn't deserve this. But now that he has found an address,he reads the bottom and finds more than what he bargained for. He finds the Phantom Gadget. In a small plastic baggie. A bolo tie, with green and blue swirls. 

 

Alleyway men have murdered their loved ones. They physically have nobody to inherit the Phantom Gadget. So it sits in the library. Josh snatches it, now deciding where he must strike, how to strike, when to strike and more importantly, if Ben will not take Tyler to ''Town'', then Josh must find someone with a Phantom Gadget to do so instead. The library offers names of people who have inherited Phantom Gadgets, people on the other side of ''Town'' as well in Columbus.

 

Now Josh is asking one question to himself.

 

_Who the hell is Ryan Ross and where can I get ahold of his Phantom Gadget?_

 


	6. Separation Anxiety.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy in a contrast bow ran throughout the mall. Blue hair followed in hopes to see him fall. 
> 
>  
> 
> Surrounding his surroundings and hiding behind a wall. Tyler doesn't like this. Doesn't like this at all.

How fast can Tyler Joseph run with his best friend's ghost surrounding his surroundings? Very fast. He runs fast to stay alive, now coming to the point when he sees nothing, feels no snapback resting on his brunet hair, tastes batteries and copper, hears his erratic crying and smells fire, smoke just burning everywhere. Josh is here, Josh is there, Josh is standing behind, in front, above him and he looks so  _disappointed._ Tyler doesn't want Josh to be disappointed in him, he's his best friend. Or is he?

 

Tyler ran from the house before the party, running off to somewhere that Josh wouldn't find him. Somewhere safe, crowded. He hated crowds, they're terrible. Crowds are nothing more than a sweaty, puberty infested hop polloi that gives Tyler anxiety and another reason to hate himself when people gawk at his small frame like he were pre-serum Steven Rogers. The mall, riddled with anxiety is where he finds himself standing before. He hears soft piano, sounds like 'Dreams are Dangerous' from the Coraline soundtrack. He darts in, mumbling 'sorry' and 'excuse me' when he flushes through the crowd of shoppers. What time was it? November? December? Snowflakes hanging from the ceiling prove him right and it's even worse now. 

 

Christmas shoppers.

 

A brunet in a white dress shirt, contrast bow, black skinny jeans and terrified look is weaving himself throughout the Columbus mall and nobody questions why. Maybe they should. Tyler questions hiding in Hot Topic, but he always shops there, it'd seem illogical that if he didn't want to be caught, he'd hide there. It's dark in the store he shops at, but something bright is just what's going to save him. Something bright, happy, Josh wouldn't find him there. He hides in Build-A-Bear, telling the manager that he really needs to hide behind the stuffing machine. The manager's name is Ryan, Tyler takes a familiar liking to Ryan instantly. Ryan radiates something about Josh, the original Josh, before he went AWOL. 

 

''I--I'm only here because J--'' He questions, Phantom Gadgets are considered poppycock to those that don't possess one. But take a chance, Ryan's got a fairly nice golden watch. It looks vintage and Tyler thinks that might be his saving grace, that might just be what lets Ryan understand. "Josh--he's--I--It's all crazy and he's--he's gone and I…."

 

''You're hysterical.'' Ryan deadpans, tossing Tyler a yellow box with a seeing needle, thread and spool design on it. _BABW_ printed on the side with clip art of a bear, he decides that he needs something how address Phantom Gadgets quickly before Josh finds him. "…I mean, they're childish but all I have is that or Sofia the First and I prefer to save those for myself." Tyler takes a deep breath, hiccuping but finding it within himself to talk. He closes his eyes, inhaling the scent of floor wax inside the brightly lit store of limp, unstuffed bear bodies, stuffing curling in a machine, sparkled bear clothes and something different. 

 

''..that's a nice watch. Did a relative give it to you?"

 

Ryan blushes, checking his watch and not meeting Tyler's gaze. "Yeah…my dad. Before he passed, he gave it to me."

 

Tyler ponders wether he should risk sounding crazy or pray that his judgement is good. After the things he's done and seen, let's say that well…his judgement is not the best. "Is it a Phantom Gadget?"

 

That's when Ryan yanks him to the back room frantically and they sits among boxes of Christmas promotional door busters and bags of plush heart refills. He locks the door, flipping over a whiteboard that previously had written shipment details including  _'Order new shipment of LeBron James bear, Honey Girls, Lalaloopsy, 2 order shipments of Olaf bear for holiday season.'_ The whiteboard flipped over now reads something else. 

 

''You've been to 'Town', right?"

 

''Josh took me once but after it, he started acting strange and weird."

 

''And he's not like that all the time?"

 

''…..well…."

 

''Good point." Ryan pulls off newspaper clippings and hands them to Tyler.  _'Town Press'_

 

_'Town Press, November 12th.'_

 

_'Alleyway by the pier has had a spike of lethal activity to provoke the dead and living, 'Town' is on alert with the residents and men and woman of Alleyway as_ _they spark into a war with the lead of Benjamin Hark, now placed in the vessel of an unknown Contemporary.'_

 

''What's a Contemporary?"

 

''New dead. If your death occurred less than 6 months ago, you're considered a Contemporary." Tyler nods as a response, but stands when Ryan is called out the back room. "Let's address something.'' Ryan sighs, eyeing the watch and letting himself wander his eyes over the bolo tie sitting on a box. "Wait..is that yours?" Tyler looks over, shaking his head 'no'. Ryan leaves the back room, coffee wired parents standing with the limp, unstuffed bear bodies in one hand, shopping bags hanging off their arms and shopping lists in another hand. 

 

Tyler tilts his head at the bolo tie. What if it belonged to someone that works there? Tyler shrugged at the thought, choosing to pick it up anyway. He doesn't see anything but feels it anyway. "Good thing you're smart enough to trust your judgement." The voice echoes, chills race through Tyler's spine like a Bengay patch. "Now here's something actually worth contemplating about. Are you smart enough to trust me?"


End file.
